diff --git a/sig.go b/sig.go
index 6b9cadb..5829f57 100644
--- a/sig.go
+++ b/sig.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package dbus
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/gob"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"strings"
@@ -164,6 +167,33 @@ func (s Signature) String() string {
 	return s.str
 }
 
+// MarshalJSON is to implement the interface json.Marshal
+func (s Signature) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
+	return json.Marshal(s.String())
+}
+
+// UnmarshalJSON is to implement the interface json.Unmarshal
+func (s *Signature) UnmarshalJSON(bytes []byte) error {
+	s.str = string(bytes)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// GobEncode is to implement the interface Encode in gob
+func (s Signature) GobEncode() ([]byte, error) {
+	var buffer bytes.Buffer
+	encoder := gob.NewEncoder(&buffer)
+	if err := encoder.Encode(s.String()); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return buffer.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+// GobDecode is to implement the interface Decode in gob
+func (s *Signature) GobDecode(bytes []byte) error {
+	s.str = string(bytes)
+	return nil
+}
+
 // A SignatureError indicates that a signature passed to a function or received
 // on a connection is not a valid signature.
 type SignatureError struct {
diff --git a/variant.go b/variant.go
index f1e81f3..fd98918 100644
--- a/variant.go
+++ b/variant.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package dbus
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/gob"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"sort"
@@ -148,3 +150,73 @@ func (v Variant) Value() interface{} {
 func (v Variant) Store(value interface{}) error {
 	return storeInterfaces(v.value, value)
 }
+
+// toMap trans the Variant to a map
+func (v Variant) toMap() map[string]string {
+	mapstr := map[string]string{}
+	mapstr["sig"] = v.sig.String()
+
+	s, _ := v.format()
+	mapstr["value"] = s
+
+	return mapstr
+}
+
+// parseMap parses a Variant from a map
+func (v *Variant) parseMap(mapstr map[string]string) error {
+	if sigStr, ok := mapstr["sig"]; ok {
+		sig := Signature{sigStr}
+
+		if vstr, ok := mapstr["value"]; ok {
+			v1, err := ParseVariant(vstr, sig)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			v.sig = v1.sig
+			v.value = v1.value
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// MarshalJSON is to implement the interface json.Marshal
+func (v Variant) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
+	mapstr := v.toMap()
+	return json.Marshal(mapstr)
+}
+
+// UnmarshalJSON is to implement the interface json.Unmarshal
+func (v *Variant) UnmarshalJSON(bytes []byte) error {
+	var mapstr map[string]string
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, &mapstr); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return v.parseMap(mapstr)
+}
+
+// GobEncode is to implement the interface Encode in gob
+func (v Variant) GobEncode() ([]byte, error) {
+	var buffer bytes.Buffer
+	encoder := gob.NewEncoder(&buffer)
+
+	mapstr := v.toMap()
+
+	if err := encoder.Encode(mapstr); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return buffer.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+// GobDecode is to implement the interface Decode in gob
+func (v *Variant) GobDecode(jsonBytes []byte) error {
+	buffer := bytes.NewBuffer(jsonBytes)
+	decoder := gob.NewDecoder(buffer)
+
+	var mapstr map[string]string
+	if err := decoder.Decode(&mapstr); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return v.parseMap(mapstr)
+}
diff --git a/variant_test.go b/variant_test.go
index c9dce3e..08dda1a 100644
--- a/variant_test.go
+++ b/variant_test.go
@@ -1,7 +1,14 @@
 package dbus
 
-import "reflect"
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/gob"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
 
 var variantFormatTests = []struct {
 	v interface{}
@@ -90,3 +97,174 @@ func TestVariantStore(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 }
+
+func TestJson(t *testing.T) {
+	str := "uint64 123456789"
+	v, err := ParseVariant(str, Signature{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	bytes, err := json.Marshal(v)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(bytes) == "{}" {
+		t.Fatal("Can't marshal the variant value!")
+	}
+
+	var v1 Variant
+	err = json.Unmarshal(bytes, &v1)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if v1.value == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Can't unmarshal the variant value!")
+	}
+	if v1.value != v.value {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %s, got %s\n", v.value, v1.value)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestJsonSimple(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		val  interface{}
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "int",
+			val:  100,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "float",
+			val:  100.3,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "string",
+			val:  "lfbzhm",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "byte",
+			val:  'l',
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		val := tc.val
+		v := MakeVariant(val)
+		bytes, err := json.Marshal(v)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if string(bytes) == "{}" {
+			t.Fatal("Can't marshal the variant value!")
+		}
+
+		var v1 Variant
+		err = json.Unmarshal(bytes, &v1)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if v1.value == nil {
+			t.Fatal("Can't unmarshal the variant value!")
+		}
+
+		str, _ := v1.format()
+		valstr := fmt.Sprintf("%v", val)
+		if !strings.Contains(str, valstr) {
+			t.Fatalf("expected %v, got %v\n", valstr, str)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestJsonArray(t *testing.T) {
+	arr := []string{"lfb", "zhm", "nn", "tt", "hello"}
+	v := MakeVariant(arr)
+	bytes, err := json.Marshal(v)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(bytes) == "{}" {
+		t.Fatal("Can't marshal the variant value!")
+	}
+
+	var v1 Variant
+	err = json.Unmarshal(bytes, &v1)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if v1.value == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Can't unmarshal the variant value!")
+	}
+
+	var arr1 []string
+	err = v1.Store(&arr1)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(arr1) != len(arr) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %v, got %v\n", v.value, v1.value)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestJsonMap(t *testing.T) {
+	mapstr := map[string]string{
+		"lfb": "zhm",
+		"nn":  "tt",
+	}
+	v := MakeVariant(mapstr)
+	bytes, err := json.Marshal(v)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(bytes) == "{}" {
+		t.Fatal("Can't marshal the variant value!")
+	}
+
+	var v1 Variant
+	err = json.Unmarshal(bytes, &v1)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if v1.value == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Can't unmarshal the variant value!")
+	}
+
+	var map1 map[string]string
+	err = v1.Store(&map1)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(map1) != len(mapstr) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %v, got %v\n", v.value, v1.value)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGob(t *testing.T) {
+	str := "uint64 123456789"
+	v, err := ParseVariant(str, Signature{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var buffer bytes.Buffer
+	encoder := gob.NewEncoder(&buffer)
+	err = encoder.Encode(v)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(buffer.Bytes()) == "{}" {
+		t.Fatal("Can't marshal the variant value!")
+	}
+
+	decoder := gob.NewDecoder(&buffer)
+	var v1 Variant
+	err = decoder.Decode(&v1)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if v1.value == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Can't unmarshal the variant value!")
+	}
+	if v1.value != v.value {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %s, got %s\n", v.value, v1.value)
+	}
+}